


Looking for a Sense of Hope

by varchiedreams



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22014043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/varchiedreams/pseuds/varchiedreams
Summary: Ever since the incident, Veronica Lodge has struggled with her mental health and being able to feel as free as she once did. She often goes to a therapist but feels there is something missing in her life.Archie Andrews has had problems with anxiety ever since his sophomore year of high school. Ever since his father passed away, he's been feeling more alone, until his mother suggests he get professional help.Both Veronica and Archie have suffered alone, but what happens when they meet?Maybe both of them can inspire a feeling of hope in one another....
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz
Comments: 5
Kudos: 29





	1. Lost in Their Minds

_It’s not going to work. Get over yourself._

_Calm down, I promise it’ll get better._

Archie Andrews paces around his room nervously. His dog, Vegas, notices, and alerts to him. 

Archie got Vegas registered as a service dog about a year ago. Since then, the dog has been able to alert to Archie and perform deep pressure therapy when he needs it. 

He is grateful for everything Vegas helps with, and he considers him the best dog ever. 

After Vegas alerts, Archie sits down but continues to move his feet. He thinks about what his mom told him about starting his therapy sessions. 

_Starting his therapy sessions._

Ever since his dad died back in the summer, Archie hasn't been his normal self. Vegas has helped with the pain, but Mary said it wasn't enough and decided to find Archie some real help. 

Archie sighs and gets ready to go. 

He hopes this new experience won't be too horrible. 

* * *

Veronica Lodge sits on the floor of her room, leaning against her bed. She is exhausted, having just gone through an episode. She sighs heavily and hears a text come in from Betty. 

_Are you okay?_

Veronica responds with a meek _I'm fine._

Betty's text reads _I can tell when you're lying. Can I come over?_

_Whatever you want_ :)

Veronica wants to deceive Betty with the smile, but she knows her best friend is smarter than that. 

About ten minutes later, Veronica hears Betty enter the front door and braces herself. 

Betty enters the room and offers a warm but sympathetic smile to her best friend. She sits down and wraps an arm around Veronica. 

Veronica is too upset to speak, but she always wants Betty to know that she is grateful for the company. 

* * *

Archie and Vegas walk down the street. He passes a tall building and hears music coming from one of the windows. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a brunette girl come to the window. He doesn't get a very good view, but from the small glance, she's beautiful. 

When he and Vegas get close to the door, Archie stops. Vegas picks up on his feelings and alerts. 

Archie sits on a bench outside the office and debates even going in. 

After about a minute, he decides against just going back home. Mary did tell him that he didn't have to continue if he wasn't comfortable. 

Archie decides to give it a chance and goes with Vegas through the doors. 

* * *

Betty and Veronica sit quietly for some time. 

Veronica gets up once to turn on some soft music so the silence isn't so _painful_. 

She catches sight of a redhead walking his dog down the street and thinks of how lucky he is to have a furry companion. 

Later, Betty helps clean her best friend up and even gets a snack for her.

They still have about 20 minutes until they need to leave for Veronica's weekly therapy session, so the girls settle in on the couch and turn on the TV. 

When their show ends, Veronica makes sure she has everything and leaves the apartment with Betty. 

* * *

When Betty and Veronica leave the Pembrooke, they walk together to the counseling office. After everything Veronica has been through, she dislikes going anywhere outside of her apartment alone, so Betty is glad to go with her. 

The girls reach the office in about 5 minutes. Once there, Veronica gives Betty a pleading look. 

Betty knows this look all too well and simply shakes her head. 

Veronica visibly sighs and walks in after hugging Betty goodbye. 

She sits on the plush chairs she is all too familiar with, it seems. She can see a figure in her therapist's office, so she decides to wait. 

A few minutes, Veronica gets up to start her session and accidentally drops her phone. Her delicate hand touches another as she bends down. 

She looks up to see a redhead, accompanied by his dog, also with his hand on her phone. 

They lock eyes and everything seems to stop. 


	2. Interactions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phew, this chapter sucks :')  
> this chapter is pretty much just a filler; more exciting stuff is coming soon!  
> also thank you to everyone who left kudos on my first chapter, it means a lot 💖

_Nothing moves. Everything is_ _still_. 

Veronica and Archie's eyes lock as they look up at each other.

She doesn't know what to do. 

Shyly, Archie hands her the phone she dropped. 

She manages a small smile before quickly walking into the office. 

When she's gone, Archie stands there dumbfounded. 

_Did that really just happen?_

_Why didn't I say anything?_

_She was so beautiful._

Vegas nudges him, unsure of his feelings.

Archie sees her one more time. She seems so small in the office.

He sighs before leaving with Vegas.

* * *

Veronica finds herself not being able to pay attention like she normally does.

Something about the boy who picked up her phone not even half an hour ago.

She just can’t seem to get his shy but sweet face out of her mind.

She drags herself through the rest of her therapy session with her mixed thoughts.

After she walks out of the office, she stands there for a minute, unknowingly, in the same place where Archie stood after their interaction.

She texts Betty that she’s done.

* * *

When Archie gets home, he takes the dog’s vest off and walks up to his room.

He searches for his notebook from the beginning of sophomore year, the one he used to write in to bring him an escape from the real world.

Archie is not an artist in that way, but he feels like he wants to draw this mysterious girl who keeps popping up in his thoughts. 

He opens his notebook and begins to work, but not before writing the day’s date, as if he wants to remember this moment.

* * *

When Betty goes to get her best friend, she can tell something is on Veronica’s mind but doesn’t ask.

Veronica has a somber but focused look on her face as if she’s trying to piece something together.

When they get back to the Pembroke, Veronica hugs Betty goodbye for the day.

She sits on the couch and tries to recognize every part of the handsome boy’s face.

She makes a decision that she will only act upon if she happens to see this boy again.


	3. Courage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!  
> so sorry for the late update, i've been busy!  
> but anyway, happy february 1st!  
> i'm thinking i might write a oneshot for varchie on valentine's day; let me know in the comments if you want to see one!   
> i really hope you guys enjoy this chapter <3

Over the next few weeks, Veronica begins to notice things at the office. She notices there are fewer clients than usual inside the building. She notices a change in scenery. But mostly, she notices the interesting red-haired boy and his dog coming out of the office before her sessions.

She attempts to take note of his appearance as nonchalantly as she can. Once, he caught her looking his way and she quickly diverted her eyes, but not before covering up a small smile.

Once, when he was sitting in the comfy chairs, she worked up the courage to at least try to go and talk to him, but she lost her nerve.

Veronica wishes she could talk to someone about Archie, but she has no idea who to go to. She definitely does not want to tell her therapist about him; she might get the wrong idea.

She doesn’t feel like she can go to Betty about the boy. Hell, she doesn’t even know his name.

~~

Archie talks to his mom and decides to keep going on with his therapy sessions if only to keep seeing the beautiful girl who shows up every week.

He thinks about her every day and wonders if he should maybe just go converse with her.

One day when he comes out of the office, he sees her looking at him right before she shyly turns away.

He smiles to himself and decides that the next time he sees her, he’s going to ask for something important.

He has no idea of Veronica’s name, but he doesn’t care. 

He’s going to find a way to talk to her.

~~

On a particular Friday the 13th, Veronica is more anxious than usual. She’s not entirely superstitious, but she knows that bad things have happened on this day in the past.

When she arrives at the office, she sees Archie coming out of the room as usual. She expects them to just smile at each other like usual, but to her surprise, Archie comes right up to her with Vegas.

Shyly, he says, “Hey.”

She lets out a “Hi.”

He asks how she’s doing and she replies that her day just got a little better. He smiles at this and says he hopes she has a good day.

Veronica stands there, confused but happily dumbfounded.

Did that cute boy she keeps seeing every week just talk to her?

Smiling to herself, she walks into the office.

~~

Archie can’t believe that just happened.

He hopes she didn’t think what he said was too cheesy or stupid.

He wanted to tell her one more thing, but he didn’t know how she would react.

If he can work up the nerve, he’ll tell her later.

He gets lost in thought, wondering what she’ll think of the surprise he left her.

He asked their therapist to mention it to Veronica when she’s done.

~~

When Veronica is done, she expects to leave like on a normal day.

But little does she know today is not a normal day.

Anne, the therapist, slips her a piece of paper and says it’s from the boy before her with a slight smirk.

Veronica waits to unfold the paper until she gets out to the chairs. When she opens it, she is surprised to find a number.

_A phone number._

_He gave her his phone number._

She lets out a slight squeal and puts the number on her phone while she waits for Betty to come and walk her home.

She’s very aware it’s Friday the 13th but decides to take a risk.

She tentatively texts Archie’s number with shaky fingers.

He doesn’t respond right away, and it makes her slightly nervous.

She knows that all she can do right now is wait.


	4. Trust and Ambition

Archie receives a text on his phone and somehow knows exactly who it’s from.

His heart rate quickens and Vegas, who believes something is wrong, alerts.

Archie ignores the alert and opens his message.

The text reads,

_Hi, could you help me find a redhead boy with an adorable dog? I think he might’ve left something at the therapist’s office._

Archie visibly laughs, which is something he hasn’t done in a while.

He blushes before responding to this amusing girl who must have taken his surprise in a good way.

* * *

Veronica finds herself looking at her phone more often than usual to “check the time”.

The boy still hasn’t responded to her text, and she’s nervous.

She continues to wait, and finally, she receives a text.

 _Sure, I think I might know him_.

She is relieved that he went along with her joke; she was worried about it being cheesy.

She’s about to respond to his text when Betty arrives.

Veronica quickly hides her phone but has a small smile on her face, so Betty knows something must be up but doesn’t question it.

* * *

The conversation between this new pair has barely started, but Archie is excited to see where it leads.

His phone dings again, but the text isn’t from Veronica.

It reads,

_Hey man, we haven’t done anything in a while. Wanna meet me at Pop’s?_

Archie smiles, knowing Jughead’s love for burgers. Sometimes he wonders how Betty tolerates his constant need for burgers and milkshakes.

While he’s walking towards the diner, a text, from the girl, pops up.

_Great, maybe we could look for him next Friday?_

After reading it, he responds with something new. He has a feeling, should they keep talking, this will help them in the future.

* * *

When Veronica is safely back at the Pembroke, she texts Archie back and playfully falls on her couch while she waits for a response.

She knows that they literally just started talking not even an hour ago, but she feels like this boy is easy to talk to, in a way.

She gets up to find something to eat when her phone dings, about two times.

She comes back to the couch and reads the texts he sent.

_Haha, sounds good._

_By the way, I’m Archie. Andrews._

So that’s his name.

_Archie._

Veronica loves this name and is glad she doesn’t have to refer to him as “the interesting boy” or just “the boy” anymore.

She smiles and responds before she goes to sleep.

* * *

When Archie gets to the diner, Jughead can tell something is up and smirks when he sees his friend.

In the middle of milkshakes and Jughead’s _third_ burger, he decides to question the redhead sitting across from him.

“So, what’s been going on with you? Anything new you want to tell me?”

He tries to be subtle, but Archie can see right through him. Still, he can’t shy away from the truth; he finds it hard to lie to his friends.

“Maybe I have something to share,” Archie says with slightly pursed lips.

“Go ahead, spill,” Jughead encourages while biting a french fry.

Archie sighs and lets out how he feels about this girl, whose name he still doesn’t know. Has she responded to his text?

Jughead starts talking again, but Archie doesn’t pay attention. He checks his phone to see a text, sent about 20 minutes ago.

_Veronica Lodge. <3 _

Archie thinks, _Veronica. What a beautiful name for someone you want to love._

Jughead interrupts with a “Hello? Earth to Archie?”

“What?”

“I was asking what her name was. If you’ve seen her enough, you ought to know her name, right?”

“Actually, I just found out,” Archie says sheepishly.

Jughead playfully rolls his eyes.

“Her name is Veronica. And she is so, so beautiful.”

“So why did you wait so long to find out her name?” Jughead inquires.

“I don’t know, I just get nervous around her. We’ve only talked like once or twice in person, and we just started texting tonight. I don’t even really know her yet,” Archie confesses.

Jughead thinks for a moment before telling Archie, “Look, you know I’m the complete opposite of a romantic. It was hard enough for me to take Betty to the homecoming dance this year.”

Archie chuckles before Jughead continues.

“But I think you should get to know this girl. Maybe you could take her here or something.”

“I don’t know, man. You know I have problems. And not just those kinds of problems,” Archie mumbles.

It’s Jughead’s turn to chuckle as he finishes what he’s saying.

“All I’m saying is, even if you just started talking, you should try to do something nice for her. And who knows, maybe you could help each other with your problems.”

Archie smiles before they finish their shakes and leave Pop’s.

When he arrives home, he ponders over the situation at hand.

Jughead is right, he is not a romantic. But he’s smart, and sometimes he just happens to give out the right advice.

_Maybe he should listen to his best friend._

* * *

When Friday arrives, Veronica and Archie are both nervous.

She gets to the office with her friend, and luckily, Betty doesn’t suspect anything.

As soon as Veronica goes inside, she finds _Archie_ sitting in a chair with a smile on his face, of course, accompanied by Vegas.

She smiles shyly before sitting right next to him and asking, “So I guess you’re who I’m looking for?”

“Maybe, unless there’s some other redhead boy with a dog you know,” he responds playfully.

Veronica smiles again and tells him that’s it’s nice to actually, personally meet him now that she knows his name.

Archie returns the smile and tells her, “I’ve always thought Veronica was a nice name. But it looks really good on you.”

He suddenly cringes and asks, “That wasn’t too cheesy, was it? I’m not very good at this.”

“No, no, you’re doing great,” she reassures him with a small giggle.

They talk for about 10 more minutes before Archie taps into his mind, rethinking what Jughead told him.

 _I think you should get to know this girl_.

Archie takes a breath and asks Veronica, “Can I ask you something?”

Tentatively, she responds, “Sure.”

He freezes for a split second. But then, without thinking, he blurts out, “I know we just started talking a few days ago, but you seem really nice and I’d like to get to know you more. Maybe we could meet at Pop’s diner one day next week?”

He quickly adds, “I’m sorry, hopefully, that didn’t sound creepy.”

After letting his request sink in her mind, Veronica ponders the situation once again, something she seems to be doing a lot lately.

_I haven’t dated in forever. Not since... what happened._

_But he seems sweet and sincere. Maybe you should give him a chance. It’s not like you really must do this again if it doesn’t seem right._

Veronica finds that she is at war with herself but ultimately decides to let the latter win.

Archie is looking at her hopefully, waiting for a response.

Finally, she gives him her answer.

“I would like that.”

Upon hearing this, Archie mentally pumps his fist in the air.

On the outside, he visibly smiles, which makes Veronica’s heart melt.

Neither of them has any idea what the other has in store, but they are excited about what might possibly come next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again!  
> thank you all so much for reading <3  
> i promise the chapters won't be too spaced out from now on! i also want to point out that i tried to make this one a little longer!  
> i hope you all enjoy and thank you so much for appreciating my work, it makes me so happy to read your sweet comments 💖


	5. Kind Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie and Veronica go on a "date"? They meet at Pop's, talk, and maybe even start falling for each other...

Veronica rummages through her closet and rolls her eyes when she can’t find something she likes.

She knows that this “date” with Archie could just be a one-time thing, but she thinks she needs to look like a confident woman, which she totally doesn’t feel like.

She looks through her clothes one more time and picks a plain black top, a modest choice.

A thought pops up in her head and she tries to ignore it but eventually gives in.

She texts Betty and asks if she can come to the Pembrooke.

* * *

Archie has no idea what he should be doing. He didn’t even think Veronica was going to say yes; how is he supposed to spend a full hour with her (without it being awkward)?

He has no idea how he’s supposed to look sharp, or at least _presentable_.

He thinks it would be better if someone was helping him, but he knows this is not Jughead’s area of expertise and he does not want to tell his mom. She would ask who Veronica is, where they were going, and how long they’ve known each other.

Archie doesn’t even know how he should answer. He’s clearly on his own for this.

After consulting the Internet, he goes for a button-up shirt and a dark denim jacket. He doesn’t have the best shoe selection, so he picks out his best shoes.

He’s ready, but he’s not ready.

He texts his friend:

_Hey. Remember that girl Veronica I told you about?_

He waits a few minutes before Jughead’s response comes in:

_Yeah, I remember. Why? Did you do what I said?_

_Yeah, I did. I actually did do it._

_And? What did she say?_

Archie still doesn’t believe that she accepted his “request”, and he tells his always-beanie-wearing friend that point-blank.

To Archie’s surprise, Jughead doesn’t even seem that shocked. In fact, he replies:

_I told you it would work. Just don’t tell her it was basically my idea for you to ask her out._

The redhead asks if he can send a picture of his outfit. 

Before waiting for an answer, he takes a picture of himself in his mirror and sends it to Jughead. 

His friend replies: 

_Dude, no way._

_What? Does it not look good?_

_No, it’s fine. I’m just not used to seeing you in anything other than a football uniform. It actually looks pretty good. I think she’ll like it._

_That’s a relief._

Archie sighs and gives himself a once-over.

His phone chimes once more.

_Let me know how it goes. I know I said I’m not usually the romantic type, but I’m pretty interested in this._

It’s a nice day, so he decides to walk. He takes Vegas and the two begin making their way to Pop’s.

* * *

When Betty arrives, she fusses over her best friend, even offering to do her makeup. It takes a bit of convincing, but Veronica finally agrees, which makes Betty happy.

When she’s done, she stares into her full-length mirror for a split second. She’s wearing a sleek black top, a nice pair of jeans, and some small heeled shoes, plus Betty’s finishing touches.

Even though Betty still has no idea what the occasion is, Veronica plans to tell her later if the date goes well.

She, however, was told that Veronica was going to go out somewhere for the first time in a while and is proud of her. Being the mom friend, she is slightly anxious, though.

Betty asks, “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

Veronica gives a small smile and says, “I’ll be fine. Don’t tangle yourself up over this. I’m not sure if I’ll be doing it again for a while. I just had a burst of confidence and felt like I should today.”

“You know how I worry about you, of course I had to ask.”

The best friends hug each other and as soon as Betty leaves, Veronica gets in the car and heads to Pop’s.

* * *

Being in a car, Veronica arrives at Pop’s before Archie.

She anxiously takes a seat at a booth and slightly wrings her hands while watching the door.

She feels like she should be courteous and wait for him to walk in, so she doesn’t order anything yet.

A few minutes later, he comes in with his dog and searches the diner before his eyes land on hers.

They hold each other’s gaze for a small moment of time before he walks over and sits down across from her.

No one says anything until Archie decides to start with a simple, “Hi. You look nice.”

“Hi,” she responds with a small smile.

"You do too."

“Thanks for meeting me here.”

“Of course.”

Awkward silence takes over before Veronica says, “Your dog is here, and he’s adorable.”

“Well, I’m sure if he could talk, he would say thank you.”

“He’s my service dog, and I’ve had him for a few years now. But it’s not always easy. A lot of places I go, I’m questioned about whether he’s a ‘real one’. Which he is, but what’s really annoying is that I see fakes everywhere that can act out, but they’re never stopped.”

She nods and offers a, “I’m sure it happens a lot. That must be really annoying.”

He somberly agrees with her.

She isn’t sure if she should ask this, but decides it should be harmless.

“I don’t really know anything about service dogs, so if you don’t mind me asking, what does he do?”

“We’re still learning new things every day, so he’s not perfect, but he’s supposed to alert to me when I might start having mental attacks of any kind. He could be considered medical equipment, but I don’t really think of him that way. I just think of him as my best friend.”

“I’ve had him since…” Archie slowly trails off.

Veronica slightly cocks her head and says, “Since what?”

“Let’s just say it wasn’t the best part of my life,” Archie sighs.

Veronica tells him, in a soft voice, “You know, you don’t have to tell me. We only just met a few weeks ago.”

“But I think it’s really brave of you.”

He looks up and asks, “What is?”

“The fact that you were willing to talk about it. I think it’s really brave. But if it makes you feel any better, I’ve gone through things too. I just don’t feel it’s the best time to open up about it if that’s okay.”

He shakes his head and assures her, “You don’t need to either if makes you uncomfortable.”

They sit in silence for a moment before she says, “You know, I didn’t think I could really trust anyone besides my best friend. But I feel like I could tell you things that I wouldn’t normally tell others.

Maybe we knew each other in a past life,” she finishes as she lets out a small laugh, a bold move for her. She hopes she’s not being too awkward.

To her relief, he smiles and says, “Maybe you were this beautiful royalty, and I was this typical peasant trying to convince everyone the man you were to spend the rest of your life with had bad intentions.”

“That sounds like things I’ve seen before.”

The waitress suddenly appears out of nowhere to take their orders.

Veronica orders a chocolate milkshake while Archie gets strawberry.

As soon as she disappears, the two continue their civil, but slow, conversation. 

The two seem to be getting on just fine. Veronica is still wary since she’s had trouble trusting new people, but Archie seems to be someone she could be friends with. Or maybe even, something more?

Suddenly, she looks up at the door and her smile disappears.

She quickly looks down, and to Archie’s confusion, tells him she’ll be right back.

He watches her go into the restroom and sighs. He looks at Vegas and asks, “I didn’t screw this up, did I? Did I somehow scare her away?

What am I supposed to do?”

The happy-go-lucky dog just has an adorable look on his face and licks Archie’s hand.

A few minutes later, Veronica comes back and apologizes for leaving so abruptly.

Archie is still confused but also doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

She says, “I should probably get going.”

“Oh, okay. If it’s not too creepy, maybe I could walk you home?” He asks.

Sheepishly, she says, “Oh, I actually brought my car. But maybe I could drive you?”

He thinks for a moment before he asks, “I wouldn’t mind. But would you? I mean, sometimes this guy sheds,” as he points to Vegas and smiles.

She smiles back and says it should be fine.

He responds, “Okay, I would like that.”

* * *

After Archie gives Veronica directions, they arrive at his house.

He unloads the dog and says, “Thank you for meeting with me.”

“I wanted to thank you for that too,” she says, and gives him a rare, sincere smile.

He sighs again, kind of discouraged that it didn’t last for the last time, but luckily she doesn’t seem to notice.

Before he goes inside, he provides a proposal: “Maybe we could do this again sometime?”

“That sounds nice,” she says with a smile.

They say goodbye to each other, and she drives off.

He stands there for about a minute before he walks inside and goes up to his room.

He falls on his bed and processes what just happened.

 _He can’t believe they were at Pop’s together_.

He wonders about that moment when she almost ran off to the restroom but quickly pushes out of his mind and smiles when he thinks about the events of the afternoon.

He looks at his dog and tells him, “I did that!”

He’s clearly proud of himself, and the dog senses it. Even though dogs don’t communicate their feelings, the dog finds it adorable.

Archie wastes no time grabbing his little book and adding to his thoughts about this girl. He warns himself not to get attached or do anything like that, but it doesn’t really work. 

He’s already excited to see her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi there! i'm back!   
> to anyone who has read and supported this, i'm so sorry for keeping you waiting for so long!   
> when quarantine started, i thought i was going to spend weeks with new chapters, but instead, i lost my motivation. luckily, it's finally come back and i hope to get a new chapter up every other saturday!  
> i hope you enjoy this one and thank you again for reading 🖤

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone! thank you so much for reading!  
> this is actually my first fic, so i really hope you liked it ❤


End file.
